Wine dinners and the importance of terroir

Posted on October 15, 2015

Finding the perfect wine to accompany a dining experience is a gastronomic adventure and a good place to start is understanding the effect terroir can have.

When selecting the wines to include in our extensive cellars at Constance we get to know not just the wines but the stories behind them, the provenance, the terroir, the production techniques. Each element of winemaking contributes to the flavour and aroma of the wine.

Finding the perfect wine to accompany a dining experience is a gastronomic adventure.

Even for our highly trained sommeliers, discovering a new wine, a new producer, a new region can be a thrilling occasion and it is this passion and excitement which we hope to pass on to our guests at our wine dinners.

This month we have invited two of France’s leading winemakers, Eric Lépine of Château de Rhones and Clément Malochet of Château d’Esclans to Mauritius to share their wines with you.

Both from very different regions, producing very different wines, we hope that the wine dinners we have created to introduce you to their distinct wines will inspire your journey of wine discovery.

Château d’esclans

Grapes grown on the sun-drenched hills of Provence.

Visiting Constance Le Prince Maurice from 27 – 31 October, Clément Malochet of Château d’Esclans, will be introducing the estate’s famous rosés from grapes grown on the sun-drenched hills of Provence.

The primary grape grown here is Grenache with the oldest vines, growing at the highest points of the vineyard, being a staggering 90 years old. Cinsault, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Tibouren are also grown here contributing to the estates red and white wine offering.

Set in the stunning countryside of the Gaillac region of France on the terroir of the Cordes plateaux on the left bank of the Tarn, the estate grows the popular Gaillac grapes, Fer Servadou, Duras, Mauzac, Loin de l’oeil, as well as Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

Wine has been produced in the region since the Roman times and Château de Rhodes continues a tradition of winemaking using only organic farming methods in the growing of its vines and traditional winemaking processes.